A & B form chaos ends: BJP backs Dhomse as independent; Harsha Badgujar steps aside

Nashik: Former corporator Harsha Badgujar withdrew her nomination from Ward 25 (C) of Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) on Friday, paving the way for BJP to announce Bhagyashree Dhomse as its party-backed independent candidate from the same ward — ending a day of high drama over the distribution of A and B forms in Cidco.The controversy began when the party issued A and B forms to two candidates — Dhomse and Harsha Badgujar — for Ward 25 (C). Although Dhomse featured in BJP's official candidate list, her nomination was initially invalidated because Harsha filed her papers first. Similar confusion occurred in five other wards, leading to the disqualification of two BJP aspirants — former corporators Mukesh Shahane and Bhagyashree Dhomse — despite their inclusion in the official list. As a result, former corporator Sudhakar Badgujar, his wife Harsha, and their son Deepak were all declared valid candidates in the Cidco division, sparking further disputes.On Friday, major realignments followed instructions from senior party politicians. Harsha withdrew her nomination, enabling Dhomse to contest with full BJP support as a party-sponsored independent. Shahane, whose nomination was also affected by the A and B form mix-up, chose to stay in the fray as an independent candidate.In another development, Deepak Badgujar withdrew his nomination from Ward 25 (A) but continued to contest from Ward 29 (A), where Shahane is also in the race as an independent. A BJP functionary told TOI that while Bhagyashree would contest as the party-backed independent from Ward 25 (C), Deepak remained BJP's official candidate in Ward 29 (A), with Shahane positioned against him as an independent.Meanwhile, 657 candidates withdrew their nominations on the final day. Two former BJP corporators — Ruchi Kumbharkar from Ward 3 in Panchavati and Shashikant Jadhav from Ward 10 in Satpur — stayed in the contest despite being denied tickets and are expected to challenge BJP candidates in their respective wards. In Ward 13 (B), BJP's Madhuri Milind Jadhav, who had filed as an independent after being denied a ticket, withdrew her nomination. In Ward 3 (C), nine of the 12 independent candidates pulled out.In a dramatic twist, supporters of independent candidate Dnyaneshwar Kakade allegedly locked him inside his house, insisting he contest despite party pressure. Later in the day, Kakade withdrew his nomination.